Language and ethnicity: a relationship with nuances

group from another. However, the relationship of ethnic groups towards their languages is not invariable and the examination of particular cases reflects a wide array of nuances. Given this ambivalence of the subject, this paper seeks to examine which properties can be assumed as necessary in order to establish a link between a language and an ethnic group. By referring to some case studies, the author demonstrates how the link between language and group's identity has been maintained sometimes more strongly by a shared perception than by an effective use of the language in question.